Here is my very first photo of Pippin. He was sitting right in front of me, looking at me like he often does when he wants to be petted.
As I thought, he quickly asked to go outside. I took this next picture of him right before he went down the steps of my deck.
Later on that day, he started washing himself underneath one of my deck benches. I think I startled him, making for a funny photo.
Here he is again, taking a rest at the landing of the steps and looking up at me.
In this next picture, he is once again perched under one of the benches, looking around, quite content. I was still new to the camera, not knowing how to zoom in very well.
Here is a more playful side of Pippin, ready to pounce on some leaves.
I love this next picture. I think it clearly shows the sweet side of Pippin as he looked at me. I used a flash, which made for dark surroundings and for Pippin to stand out more.
Pippin was soon interested in going outside once again.
After a week of Christmas Country Dance School, which I am going to include pictures later, my family went down to Tennessee put on a McLain Family Band radio show in Johnson City, followed by a concert at Carter Fold, Virgina. We left on January 2, with me making sure that Pippin had plenty of food and water for the weekend. We had a fine dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my uncle Raymond and my aunt Diane, but shortly after we arrived at Raymond's house, my sister Hazel called Mommy's cell phone. She was extremely upset because she had been taking care of my family's toy poodle Shadow at her house while we were gone, and she found him critically hurt out in her backyard. As we were afraid of, he had to put to sleep the next day. He was nearly 16 years old, and was already blind and deaf, but this was very sad just the same. I felt so sorry for Hazel, even as I thought about Shadow being fatally injured while we were gone, and him never again being there to greet us when we would come home. I hadn't even known that Hazel was taking care of Shadow until Hazel called. It was a very hard time for family. At least I knew I had Pippin. Hazel may have felt responsible in the death of Shadow, but she also was the one who gave me Pippin and helped me start this blog. I knew Pippin would be a major source of comfort for me back at my house. I also thought it would be nice to be with my family's cat Charlie at the other house. Charlie himself was recovering from an infection from being in a fight with another animal at the end of last year.
It was a rather emotional radio show and concert for me. I was touched when my family sang "Angel Band" during the concert. That was a song I was really wanting to hear while dealing with Shadow's sudden attack and death. "Bound for Gloryland" and "Moving On" followed immediately afterwards. I was listening to three songs about going to heaven on the very day that Shadow died. I felt they were a nice tribute to him. I have plenty of photos I've taken at the radio show and concert that I am going to choose from and post on my blog.
It was hard driving back into Berea the following night, still thinking of Shadow. I knew that I would at least have Pippin to greet me. My parents immediately dropped me off at my house, and as I suspected, Pippin very eagerly welcomed him home. Here he is, resting right beside me on the couch that night. It was touching the way he was looking up into my face, with him softly illuminated by lamplight. I was still grieving Shadow's death, but felt comforted by Pippin being right there.
It was a rather emotional radio show and concert for me. I was touched when my family sang "Angel Band" during the concert. That was a song I was really wanting to hear while dealing with Shadow's sudden attack and death. "Bound for Gloryland" and "Moving On" followed immediately afterwards. I was listening to three songs about going to heaven on the very day that Shadow died. I felt they were a nice tribute to him. I have plenty of photos I've taken at the radio show and concert that I am going to choose from and post on my blog.
It was hard driving back into Berea the following night, still thinking of Shadow. I knew that I would at least have Pippin to greet me. My parents immediately dropped me off at my house, and as I suspected, Pippin very eagerly welcomed him home. Here he is, resting right beside me on the couch that night. It was touching the way he was looking up into my face, with him softly illuminated by lamplight. I was still grieving Shadow's death, but felt comforted by Pippin being right there.
Pippin then sprawled out into a silly position, providing me with some nice amusement.
Here he is, just sleeping peacefully.
Here is Pippin in another funny pose, quite comfortable indeed.
My armchair is one of Pippin's favorite places to rest. I had rescued the chair from my family's house, when they had insisted on getting a new leather chair and throwing this one away. I had grown up with this chair and absolutely loved it. I can tell that Pippin loves it too. Someone else put this pillow there, and Pippin has claimed it for his own. The pillow takes up the entire chair space, but I leave it there for Pippin. I love seeing him resting there. He hasn't once used his cat bed that was one of my presents that accompanied him for my birthday last year.
In the next picture, Pippin had once again rejoined me on the couch. He happened to be snuggled up by a black Webkinz Lil'Kinz stuffed poodle that I had specifically asked for Christmas in honor of Shadow's mother Missy. Missy was put to sleep on the night before Christmas of 2006 following seizures that day. She was 16 years old and blind and deaf, much like Shadow was before he died. Missy's death was a tough loss for me, and this Christmas, I had asked for this Webkinz poodle as a way to keep her close. I happened to bring this poodle with me to Johnson City in my backpack. After Mommy told us the sad news of Shadow's injury, I went over to my backpack and pulled out my poodle. In my mind, it had become Shadow, while still keeping traces of Missy. It provided immediate comfort as I held it close.
Now, as I was seeing Pippin and the Webkinz poodle together, I imagined Shadow snuggled up with Pippin. When Shadow was still alive, he would sometimes appear on my back deck and ask to come in. He did that when he was left outside at the other house with family absent. After I got Pippin, Pippin was rather afraid of Shadow at first, but they got better acquainted over time. At the other house, there were times when Shadow and our cat Charlie would lie down together. That was quite touching to look at. Even though Pippin wasn't very close to Shadow, it was nice to see him lying with the Webkinz poodle, with me pretending the poodle was Shadow. I also reflected back on the times that Shadow had sat with me on this very couch, enjoying my company like Pippin now does.
One time when I was sitting on the floor, Pippin came up to me, and I took this nice close-up picture of him looking at me.
I was sitting in front of the couch and taking close-up pictures of the Webkinz poodle when suddenly Pippin jumped onto the couch and lay down right in front of the poodle! I figured it was a good opportunity to take a picture of Pippin! The tapestry on the couch is a Noah's Ark tapestry. It makes Pippin appear to be outdoors. The stuffed horse beside Pippin is Barbaro, wearing his pink saddle cloth in the Kentucky Derby before his tragic accident in the Preakness. My stuffed Barbaro has come to my comfort too.
Here is another view of Pippin in my armchair. It was another nice restful time for him. The pine tree beside the chair was an housewarming present from neighbors of mine who have since moved away.
This photo below is one of my all time favorite photos. I was really wanting another photo of Pippin and me together. I hadn't had any such photos since my birthday party last year. Getting another photo of Pippin and me was rather tricky because I am the only person living in my house. I knew that my camera had a timer that allowed me to get into the photo, but I couldn't really count on Pippin to stay still. I started experimenting taking photos of myself while holding the camera at arm's length. Even this method was tough when I tried to include Pippin. He kept wanting to walk around when I joined him on the floor. After several not-so-good attempts, I finally got this photo of Pippin and me right by the sliding door. I like how our faces are so close together. Pippin was sniffing me, with his eyes looking directly into mine. It was a touching example of our close bond, and how I was still turning to him for comfort after Shadow's death.
Pippin was keeping a close watch on the squirrels that were occupying the bird feeders at the time. He sometimes crouched behind my armchair to meow softly at the squirrels, and I took this photo of him looking back at me.
Here is another photo of Pippin and me that I absolutely love. I had wanted to get a photo of us together that revealed Pippin's face this time. I think he was rather curious about me holding out the camera. That allowed me to get a beautiful portrait of him. I was looking down upon him like any affectionate mother would look upon her young child.
Here is a close-up view of Pippin lounging by the sliding door, quite content.
Pippin was keeping a close watch on the squirrels that were occupying the bird feeders at the time. He sometimes crouched behind my armchair to meow softly at the squirrels, and I took this photo of him looking back at me.
Here is another photo of Pippin and me that I absolutely love. I had wanted to get a photo of us together that revealed Pippin's face this time. I think he was rather curious about me holding out the camera. That allowed me to get a beautiful portrait of him. I was looking down upon him like any affectionate mother would look upon her young child.
Here is a close-up view of Pippin lounging by the sliding door, quite content.
Pippin was once again looking outside, and I got this perfect side view of him. His reflection is visible in the glass.
Pippin got a special Thanksgiving present from Aren's mom Jan. Jan and her husband Darrell were visiting our family for Thanksgiving, and Jan wanted Pippin to have a mechanical cat with a toy mouse attached to an antenna. The antenna moves quickly with random movements that causes the mouse to jerk around really fast. The cat toy doesn't include me as much as Pippin's fish toy that I jerk around while holding on a stick and watching Pippin leap after it, but it does have a remote control that I can drive the mechanical cat around if I want to. A nice thing about this mechanical cat is that I get both hands free to take pictures of Pippin leaping around. Pippin loves going after the mouse, like the photo below shows. Pippin is off to the left, in the middle of a pounce. It was a nice snowy day when the picture was taken.
This is a funny picture of Pippin as a real cat staring at the mechanical cat, taken from a cat's-eye perspective. The mouse was not moving at the time.
Here is a nice picture of Pippin resting and looking towards me. The cat picture in the background is one of the two cats on my tapestry. I like how Pippin and that cat have similar poses and looking in the same direction. The stuffed Chihuahua sitting on my couch had appeared in my Christmas stocking the very morning after Missy had died on Christmas Eve 2006. The Chihuahua came to my comfort after Missy's death, similar to my Webkinz poodle comforting me after Shadow's death. Even though some of the Chihuahua's features and skin color are different than Missy's, at least their eyes are similar.
Pippin got back to playing once again. I love how his back is arched in this picture, with him looking at the mouse that darted right underneath him.
Pippin wanted to go outside in the snow, and I took this nice close-up picture of him right in front of the steps.
Pippin soon jumped up on top of one of the benches and started peering around from up there.
I like this view of him walking along the railing. This close-up photo with the bushes beyond makes him look like a big wildcat to me. I imagine him walking on top of snow covered rocks or a log.
Here is Pippin back indoors, resting on the brick flooring in front of the fireplace. This is another one of his favorite places to rest. I feel that Pippin portrays the classic image of a cat lying in front of a fireplace.
Pippin jumped back onto the couch and took another nice pose in front of my dolls and stuffed animals. I like how he appears to be smiling in this picture. In the background is my baby gate and the Plexiglass attached to it. I use them to keep Pippin from escaping out the door and following me when I walk back to the other house.
This next picture is Daddy's favorite picture of Pippin so far, and I can see why. Pippin just happened to be lying down in front of the two tapestry cats. It was a perfect opportunity to take a photo. I think the cat on the right looks a lot like Pippin with his stripes, while the cat on the left looks similar to Charlie. Charlie is dark grey with a large spot of light fur below his neck. This photo is quite stunning the way Pippin is right underneath those cats. I think Pippin's eyes were slightly open and he was looking at me when I was taking this picture.
Pippin slightly changed his position, and I took another picture, including the dogs on the tapestry this time. The cats and dogs on the tapestry symbolize household pets, with Pippin being a real life example. Pippin's rest position shows him happy and content in his home with me.
I keep taking more pictures of Pippin, so expect to see more, plus other wonderful things from my camera. Having my own camera and my own blog work well togther. Taking such photos is a wonderful way to heal from Shadow's death. My camera and Pippin both have helped bring joy back to me.
A funny thing is that Pippin likes to sit on top of my refrigerator! He jumps up onto a desk that sits by the refrigerator, and then he jumps from the desk onto the refrigerator itself! I don't know how many cats get up onto refrigerators! When I started taking these pictures, he wanted down pretty quickly!
Pippin got a special Thanksgiving present from Aren's mom Jan. Jan and her husband Darrell were visiting our family for Thanksgiving, and Jan wanted Pippin to have a mechanical cat with a toy mouse attached to an antenna. The antenna moves quickly with random movements that causes the mouse to jerk around really fast. The cat toy doesn't include me as much as Pippin's fish toy that I jerk around while holding on a stick and watching Pippin leap after it, but it does have a remote control that I can drive the mechanical cat around if I want to. A nice thing about this mechanical cat is that I get both hands free to take pictures of Pippin leaping around. Pippin loves going after the mouse, like the photo below shows. Pippin is off to the left, in the middle of a pounce. It was a nice snowy day when the picture was taken.
This is a funny picture of Pippin as a real cat staring at the mechanical cat, taken from a cat's-eye perspective. The mouse was not moving at the time.
Here is a nice picture of Pippin resting and looking towards me. The cat picture in the background is one of the two cats on my tapestry. I like how Pippin and that cat have similar poses and looking in the same direction. The stuffed Chihuahua sitting on my couch had appeared in my Christmas stocking the very morning after Missy had died on Christmas Eve 2006. The Chihuahua came to my comfort after Missy's death, similar to my Webkinz poodle comforting me after Shadow's death. Even though some of the Chihuahua's features and skin color are different than Missy's, at least their eyes are similar.
Pippin got back to playing once again. I love how his back is arched in this picture, with him looking at the mouse that darted right underneath him.
Pippin wanted to go outside in the snow, and I took this nice close-up picture of him right in front of the steps.
Pippin soon jumped up on top of one of the benches and started peering around from up there.
I like this view of him walking along the railing. This close-up photo with the bushes beyond makes him look like a big wildcat to me. I imagine him walking on top of snow covered rocks or a log.
Here is Pippin back indoors, resting on the brick flooring in front of the fireplace. This is another one of his favorite places to rest. I feel that Pippin portrays the classic image of a cat lying in front of a fireplace.
Pippin jumped back onto the couch and took another nice pose in front of my dolls and stuffed animals. I like how he appears to be smiling in this picture. In the background is my baby gate and the Plexiglass attached to it. I use them to keep Pippin from escaping out the door and following me when I walk back to the other house.
This next picture is Daddy's favorite picture of Pippin so far, and I can see why. Pippin just happened to be lying down in front of the two tapestry cats. It was a perfect opportunity to take a photo. I think the cat on the right looks a lot like Pippin with his stripes, while the cat on the left looks similar to Charlie. Charlie is dark grey with a large spot of light fur below his neck. This photo is quite stunning the way Pippin is right underneath those cats. I think Pippin's eyes were slightly open and he was looking at me when I was taking this picture.
Pippin slightly changed his position, and I took another picture, including the dogs on the tapestry this time. The cats and dogs on the tapestry symbolize household pets, with Pippin being a real life example. Pippin's rest position shows him happy and content in his home with me.
I keep taking more pictures of Pippin, so expect to see more, plus other wonderful things from my camera. Having my own camera and my own blog work well togther. Taking such photos is a wonderful way to heal from Shadow's death. My camera and Pippin both have helped bring joy back to me.
